


In Hanamura

by orphan_account



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-07-27 11:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7615642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bonding happens for beings in many ways. For some it is talking, for some silence, others through gestures of kindness or gifts. For some, it is helping with past grievances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fire Dances

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to stop by my tumblr, endlyw.tumblr.com

“Master, you never told me much about your past. May ask about it?”   
“Of course Genji. What is it that you would like to know?” Zenyatta settled closer to Genji as cold wind brushed by the two in their current home. A small abandoned home near Tokyo as to not being too much attention to themselves, since the two were on the move again given that they had some time off from missions. It was obvious that this place had once been ravaged by the omnic crisis, but with time, nature restored a sad beauty to it. 

“What was your life like before the monastery and the Shambali? What did you do before then?” Genji settled beside the younger omnic and decided to get a fire started. 

“It was hard Genji, not a fair life for a poor omnic which I was. My model is not acceptable to work for higher ups such as celebrities and politicians. I am made for working in lower class positions such as a busboy or a heavy lifting drone.” Zenyatta motioned to the excess support he seemed to have on his neck, back, and arms. “I was not very wealthy to begin with and for the most part I worked as a laborer, taking jobs where I could, and accepting what pay I could.” 

"It sounds awful. Very...unfulfilling. How did you come through day to day?” Genji wasn't sure what he felt hearing about this from his master. Heavy lifting drone, busboy, not made for the higher ups. Higher ups like he was. 

“To be honest, my student. I am not sure. I simply tried to mimic what human workers did. They worked and then they went to their homes and slept and woke up the next day to work again, telling their children that they could get out of the cycle of working every day for little pay if they educated themselves. The only difference was that I could not educate myself. I was programmed with the ability to read mandarin and Cantonese as I spent my early days in China, where I was made. Not many colleges or schools accept omnics to study, so I spent my time learning in the only places I could. Libraries and monasteries.” Zenyatta focused on the fire, the bright colors bringing memories of festivals in the small village where he lived. 

“Master..I feel as if I am intruding upon something sacred, something that is not for my ears.” Genji began to settle back into the safety of his friend. Yet the words rang distant to him, different. Human workers, not coworkers. As if he believed that they were different. 

“It is for anyone to hear, Genji, though many do not ask what was before the temple as only five years of my life was spent as a service omnic before I had decided to visit the Shambali. I left the apartment behind, the life before my journey was not one that I wanted to live anymore so when the time came, I took my leave. The decision took a great deal of patience and careful planning. I did not know what to do when I arrived, only having what clothes I had and some money left from my journey.” Zenyatta looked away from the newly started fire, the dancing flames whisking away the memories that meant nothing now that they were here together. 

“Master, did anyone hurt you? I feel as if you are holding something back. If it is too much for you to say, then I am willing to leave the conversation at that conclusion.” Genji took his master’s hand, reassuring him that he was not to cross any boundaries if he was not comfortable with it.

“Thank you my dearest student, I promise that I will continue this story another time as it is not so easy to tell when we are so close together. So at ease. I must let the past be at bay for another time.” 

“Master? I….I love you.” Genji took his friend, his lover close and pressed his forehead to the others, gently as to presume a kiss.” 

“And I too, love you Genji.” He pressed his forehead as well to the others, electricity sparking between the two in a mock kiss, one that made Zenyatta sure that the two were not different. Not as much as he once presumed.


	2. Damaged, But Not Injured

_ Many years ago. So many years ago had it happened. How would his student react knowing he was not who he is now? Even in his short life, he has come to regret that he had not been as brave as he was now.  _

 

_ He had some suspicions at the time of the attack, he heard the clambering of men atop the warehouse and the clinking of metal and the wood thumps of baseball bats as he lifted yet another box of some sort of cheap toy onto a loading bay. Another day of work, another day of low pay. He hadn't  expected any attacks and he had never experienced anything of the sort when he had been working for the company.  _

 

_ He didn't know that these attacks were frequent or that they only went about when all the men (the human men) had cleared the building and he didn't know that the weak were weeded out this way. Only models that were strong enough could make it out alive and it cleared spaces for new workers, new steel and cleaned gears, sleek and wanted.  _

 

_ The others seemed to know what was going on when a smoke bomb rolled into the warehouse. It danced and curled into the building rapidly, making the fan systems of the older models malfunction as they heated up too fast, making them slower.  _

 

_ It made the warehouse darker than it already was, clouding the windows as men stalked into the warehouse, carrying all sorts weapons. Zenyatta knew this was plotted by his own employers when he heard the lights get shut off manually.  _ _   
_ _ Pistols, wire cutters, bats with metal parts tapered onto them, made exclusively to dent weak metal. The windows were open, but they would surely damage him if he attempted to climb out of them. Not enough to put him out of work, but enough for him to need rest and a quick repair, one that was too expensive for his low wages.  _

 

_ He had decided to do what was best for himself, but something that he would later regret. He hid where he knew they wouldn’t find them. Away from the fray of angry men, embittered by the crisis that haunted their homes.  _ _   
_ _ He watched as the men stalked through, grabbing victims one by one, the wirecutters tearing through the veins of others while pistols punctured their cores. Cruelly laughing and chanting that it was “oil for blood.”  _ _   
_ __ Zenyatta had hidden behind one of the large crates, one that secluded him into a corner, dimming his own lights to make it seem that he had been “taken care of”. 

_   
_ _ The attack went on for what seemed like hours, but in reflection was only about an hour and a half. At least that was as long as he could to watch the horrors and massacres unfold.  _

_ When he could handle no more, Zenyatta simply walked out of the building, remembering the image of one particular omnic on fire, oil spilling out of his side and creating a halo of murky blood. A fire protected him from any more damage that would otherwise would have been dealt to his dead body. It also seemed like the fire wanted to caress him, wanted to protect him from any more harm, dancing over his injured side like a small dragon that would snap at any other. His precious, his life source, his soul trying to reconcile with his body. _

 

_ His apartment seemed so far away, with this new feeling inside of him. A feeling of despair, nothing like he had felt before. It hurt his core, strained his systems as they tried to process this new feeling with no outlet to release them. They felt like demons clawing at his very being. Frustration a demon dancing in his confusion. Eventually, he made his way from the Hell not too far from his front door and began to rest on the bedroll in contemplation as to what he had seen. Is this what it meant when he had heard many a passerby mutter that omnics should go to hell?  _

_   
_ _ It seemed as such.   _


	3. A Walk In Hanamura

“Master, do you like it so far?”   
“It is beautiful Genji, you must show me more. I am eager to see where you spent most of your childhood.” Zenyatta pulled the hoodie that Genji had thoughtfully bought for him closer to his body as the winter chill crept to them.   
“May I suggest going back to the the hotel so that we can have some tea master?” Genji stopped to fix the sleeves at the joints for him, as they got caught often. “The Shimada Castle is not safe as of now.”   
“Ah my student, I would love to. The view from our room makes me so...happy. It is beautiful. I cannot explain it.”   
A slight giggle from Genji made the other’s lights brighten a bit.. “Master, you say all of the views are beautiful. I always wonder if there is anything in the world that you do not find beauty in.”   
“I say everything in the world has beauty in one way or another.” Zenyatta hovered forward when he had finished toying with the sleeve.   
“Wonderful words from you master, I will keep them in my heart.” 

Genji soon caught up with his master and the two of them agreed to go back to the hotel later in favor of walking around the city a bit more. In favor of looking at the small markets, eating candy, every so often and enjoying the street performers and their wonderful feats.   
That’s not to say that the journey was not without struggles. 

There were some shops that simply would not let Zenyatta in. There were shops that charged Genji more than anyone else had paid, simply because he looked like an omnic, there were people that sneered and Zenyatta and Genji, there were other omnics in the area that shopped for their masters, looking hopefully at the two in the hopes that one day they too would be able to shop on their own time and have wonderful candies. It would be worth going through all the harsh words just to have a day off, the freedom to see the Shimada Castle and its’ preserved beauty, just a moment to forget that they were in service to others for the rest of their lives. 

The two had to be careful as to not walk down the wrong streets or near the wrong buildings as there were those who would not forget or forgive the crisis. It caused them to throw stones and bottles towards the general direction of Genji and Zenyatta, eliciting curses from Genji who at times even recognized some of those that attacked them. 

When the sun began to sink below the lines of the city, the two of them walked the path back to the hotel where they stayed, hoping that the day wouldn’t linger in their memories for long.   
Being omnic in this world was harsh, an experience that they wouldn’t wish upon another, and the hope that one day, omnics and humans would be able to exist peacefully in the back of their minds every day.


	4. The Hotel

“Would you mind joining me, master?” Genji took his visor off of his face as he looked to Zenyatta, admiring the view of Hanamura once more, although he seemed to be away. Not the same in a sense. Lost. “Master?” 

There was a moment of silence, Zenyatta’s lights blinked, and the master’s gaze returned to the student. “What would you like me to accompany you to?” 

Genji smiled. His master was strange at times. “I wanted to sit on the roof with you. It would be an even better view than the one from our window, although the wind would bite a bit.Would you honor me with a short meditation session?” 

His voice hinted a smile as he picked up the small hoodie that Genji had gotten him earlier, adorning the pastel blue clothing. “I would be glad to join you my student.” He smoothed the fabric and went to his beloved, taking his arm and walking (floating) out of the door with him to the very top of the building. 

The hotel was not one of the best in Hanamura, it could be called dirty by some, but it was good enough for the two of them. Their small vacation was a blessing and they were not going to ask for more than they were given. The gifts they received were more than enough for the two of them.   
“Master, you seemed to be distracted with your thoughts, is everything alright? Have I...have I brought back memories that you did not want to bother with anymore?” 

“I will admit Genji, you have me contemplating my past once more, but it is not...deterring. I have simply contemplated the consequences of these actions, even though they have happened years ago, they seem to guide my actions in a sense. Much like how my master taught me how his experiences had remained to guide him.” Zenyatta placed a comforting hand into Genji’s, reassuring him that there was no flaw to his actions. Simple curiosity. 

“You do not speak often of Mondatta when we are alone. Only when someone asks you of him. Why is it so master?” 

“Because I miss him, my student. I was not sure if omnics could yearn for another being, but when my master was killed, I learned that I could yearn for another. I had taken him for granted as he was always there when I had needed him, whether I had been on the road to a new city or stopping by the Shambali again...he was there for me and it burned at my core to think that he is dead.” Zenyatta held Genji’s hand, but not through conscious effort. “It pains me my student, and I miss him so much, yet I am afraid to speak of it to others because I fear losing my state of tranquility.” 

“Master, I think that you should embrace these emotions. I think that it is wonderful that you have these emotions, they prove that you are more than just steel and wires. It is okay to grieve, much like how I grieve the lost relationship between myself and my brother.” 

“I agree with you my student. But I cannot bring myself to speak of it, it pains me and I know that I have done wrong by taking him for granted, I-”   
He was silenced by a kiss from Genji. Not a head press, but Genji had taken the time to remove his visor in order to kiss him. 

“Master, it is a simple flaw. You have not wronged Mondatta in any way. You have done well to honor him and I believe that you will continue to be this way until you take a new form. Hush master, let yourself be at ease and let your emotions flow. You can be at peace once again, after you remember that surprises are nice.” 

Silence came from the other as he simply leaned on his lover, feeling...lucky that he had become so close to his student, a bond forged in trust and understanding.   
“Genji, I cannot thank you enough for-” 

“Hush Zenyatta. I love you, please rest your mind as it has become weary from your overthinking.”   
“I have taught you well Genji.”   
“Yes master, you have.”


End file.
